继续回到星巴克饮料和奶茶。

后来我慢慢开始意识到，有些东西，不是花出去就没了。

其实只要这个东西能让我们开心，那它就是在给我们发股息。

而且越早开始积累，未来得到的回报往往越多。

比如，很多人会说：

我要攒钱，我要等老了之后去旅行。

但重点是，老了还能走得动吗？

肯定是越年轻的时候，去见世界，然后产生各种各样的感受。

再让这些感受，对后面的人生决定起到正面的影响。

那这种时候，还存在舍不得花钱旅行吗？

去旅行、去体验当然值得。

不仅仅只是打卡和晒美食这么简单。

我指的是去挖掘所见所闻背后的故事。

比如说，在一些未受过太多污染的地方，我们能看到那里的孩子眼里的那种清澈感。

为什么他们会这样呢？

比如说，那些大人跟孩子一样，整天无忧无虑。

我们会去想，为什么他们会这样呢？

然后让这些经历，把我们的精神世界变得丰盛和富有。

这就是旅行的意义。

当我们有一天老了，走不动了，大脑里依然还有过去一幅幅的画面。

有各种各样的感受和体验。

这难道不是一种收获吗？

这些体验和经历，早就对我们的人生产生了复利的影响。

让我想起了每次去邻居家。

只要聊起他们年轻时候一家人出去旅行的故事，他们的眼睛都会发光。

一聊就是一两个小时。

而我每次也都会不知不觉沉浸在他们当年的快乐和喜悦当中。

他们甚至连很多小细节都记得清清楚楚。

比如有一次旅行的时候，太太和家人一起去开越野车。

刚好下了一场雨。

回来的时候，每个人脸上都是泥巴。

虽然当时很狼狈，却成了后来一家人最喜欢拿出来讲的故事之一。

还有一次去海边玩。

孩子当时还小，不小心掉进了一个坑里。

一家人手忙脚乱地把他拽上来。

现在回忆起来，大家还是笑个不停。

还有一次坐迪士尼邮轮。

孩子那时候还小，不知道邮轮上的 pizza 和很多食物都是可以随便吃的。

知道以后，就不停地让工作人员帮忙拿。

说起这些事情的时候，他们脸上总是带着笑。

那种欣慰和满足，是装不出来的。

因为他们知道，自己陪伴着孩子一点一点长大。

而那些看似平凡的小事，最后都变成了一家人的共同回忆。

而我知道，

这也是我想要的生活方式。

如果等到六七十岁以后才开始去旅行，

那时候孩子已经长大了。

很多属于亲子之间的独特回忆，也错过了。

哪一种更值得，其实非常显而易见。

搞投资的人都知道，越早进入市场的钱才越值钱。

我们的生活中，通过吃喝玩乐来满足自己，有时候也是一种明智之举。

当然了，我不鼓励年轻人花光所有的钱去吃喝玩乐。

我的意思是，赚到的钱可以花一部分，单独放在那个篮子里。

那个篮子，是吃喝玩乐专属用的。

这样的话，花钱的心态就是好的。

越花越丰盛。

越赚越丰盛。

这样我们就跟钱建立起了非常好的关系。

万事万物也是平等的。

我们跟钱也是平等的关系。

无需恐惧。

无需给自己设限。

我们也是能把赚一亿当成小目标的人。

不要把小时候父母，或者身边的人无意识给我们大脑注入的观念：

吃喝玩乐是不好的，

节俭才是美德，

当成真理了。

因为那些观念，只会让一个人越来越穷。

不止把财富变穷，心也会变穷。

后来我慢慢发现，

真正值钱的，

从来不只是银行卡里的数字。

那些见过的风景，

陪伴过的人，

经历过的故事，

收获过的成长，

都会在未来某一天，

悄悄回来给人生发股息。

钱会复利。

人生也会。

婷妈修心录 创作于 2026.05.30

原创发布： tingtingma.com

记录一个女人的觉醒，修复与内在成长。

未经授权，请勿转载。

Tingma’s Inner Work Journal | 22. Money Compounds, and So Does Life

Going back to Starbucks drinks and bubble tea.

Over time, I began to realize that some things are not simply “gone” once the money is spent.

If something genuinely brings us joy, it continues to give back long after the purchase.

In a way, it pays dividends.

And the earlier we start investing in those experiences, the greater the return can be over time.

For example, many people say:

“I’ll save my money now and travel when I’m older.”

But the real question is:

Will we still be able to travel the same way when we’re old?

Wouldn’t it make more sense to explore the world while we’re younger, when we can fully experience it and absorb everything it has to offer?

The feelings, the memories, and the lessons we gain can continue to influence our future decisions in positive ways.

If that’s true, is traveling really an expense we should feel guilty about?

Traveling and experiencing the world is absolutely worthwhile.

And I don’t mean simply checking places off a list or posting photos of food on social media.

I mean discovering the stories behind the places we visit.

For example, in places that haven’t been overly shaped by modern pressures, we sometimes see a certain clarity in children’s eyes.

Why is that?

Sometimes we meet adults who seem just as carefree and joyful as children.

Why is that?

These are the kinds of questions that travel invites us to ask.

And through those experiences, our inner world becomes richer and more abundant.

To me, that is the true meaning of travel.

One day, when we are old and no longer able to move around as easily, we will still carry those images in our minds.

We will remember the feelings.

The experiences.

The stories.

Isn’t that a kind of wealth?

Those experiences have already been compounding in our lives for years.

They continue to shape who we are.

This reminds me of every visit to my neighbors’ house.

Whenever they start talking about family trips they took when they were younger, their eyes light up.

They can talk for an hour or two without getting tired.

And every time, I find myself completely absorbed in their joy and excitement.

What amazes me is how clearly they remember even the smallest details.

One time, the wife and her family went off-roading during a trip.

A rainstorm came through.

By the time they returned, everyone was covered in mud.

At the time it was messy and inconvenient.

Yet years later, it became one of their favorite family stories.

Another time, they were at the beach.

Their child was still very young and accidentally fell into a hole.

Everyone rushed over and pulled him out.

Now they laugh every time they tell the story.

There was also a Disney cruise.

Their child was little and didn’t realize that the pizza and many of the foods on board were included and available whenever he wanted.

Once he figured it out, he kept asking the staff for more.

Whenever they tell these stories, they smile.

The pride, gratitude, and joy on their faces are impossible to fake.

Because they know they were there to watch their child grow up.

And those seemingly ordinary moments eventually became treasured family memories.

And I realized:

That is the kind of life I want, too.

If we wait until our sixties or seventies to start traveling, our children will already be grown.

Many of those once-in-a-lifetime family moments will be gone.

Which choice is more valuable becomes fairly obvious.

Anyone who invests understands that money entering the market earlier has more time to grow.

Life works the same way.

Sometimes spending money on enjoyment, experiences, and meaningful moments is a wise decision.

Of course, I am not encouraging young people to spend every dollar on entertainment.

What I mean is that it can be healthy to set aside a portion of our income specifically for enjoyment.

A fund dedicated to experiences.

A fund dedicated to living.

When we do that, our relationship with money changes.

The more abundance we experience, the more abundance we are able to create.

We begin to build a healthier relationship with money.

Everything in life exists in relationship.

Money is no different.

There is no need to fear it.

No need to limit ourselves unnecessarily.

We are allowed to dream big.

We are allowed to believe that extraordinary things are possible.

Most importantly, we should stop treating the beliefs we inherited from childhood as absolute truths.

Ideas such as:

“Enjoying yourself is wrong.”

“Frugality is the only virtue.”

“Spending money on happiness is wasteful.”

These beliefs can keep a person trapped in scarcity.

They don’t just make our finances smaller.

They make our inner world smaller too.

Over time, I have come to realize that the most valuable things in life are not the numbers in a bank account.

The places we have seen.

The people we have loved.

The stories we have lived.

The growth we have experienced.

One day, all of those things come back to us.

Quietly.

Patiently.

Paying dividends to our lives.

Money compounds.

And so does life.

Tingma’s Inner Work Journal
Written on May 30, 2026

Original publication: tingtingma.com

A record of a woman’s determination,
healing, and inner growth.

Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Originally written in Chinese by the author.
This English version was translated with the assistance of ChatGPT.